


Rice To Meet You

by miraculous_me



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/M, Fluff, Romance, chlonath, this started out as a Frog Prince AU but then I spiraled out of control
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 09:08:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13678626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miraculous_me/pseuds/miraculous_me
Summary: When Chloe Bourgois’ long time crush and date to the Valentine's Day Ball cancels on her at the last minute, an unexpected encounter with the handsome artist named Nathaniel gives her an idea: shape him into the perfect high class date. As the two spend more time together preparing for the ball, Chloe finds herself drawn to Nathaniel. But old feelings are hard to shake and Chloe must decide: fall back into old habits or take the risk with someone new.





	Rice To Meet You

**Author's Note:**

> This is a gift for [TheroseCat8 ](http://therosecat8.tumblr.com) for out Bee My Valentine exchange on the ChloNath Discord Server

“I’m sorry Chloe, something came up and I can’t go to the ball tonight.”

“What?” Chloe Bourgeois sat down on the edge of the fountain. Walking to the park to clear her head in the morning was supposed to be relaxing. Having her Valentine’s Day date bail on her the day of was the opposite of relaxing. She took a few deep breaths and tried not to sound disappointed. “Is everything okay?”

“No, everything’s fine.” Alexandre said. “My boss wants me to meet with some new clients and we’re all having dinner tonight. I can’t get out of it. You know how much I want to make partner before I’m thirty?”

“I know,” she muttered. 

While Alexandre Laurent was not her boyfriend, he was the son of one of her father’s politician friends. Their relationship would benefit their families tremendously. The only problem was, Chloe fell head over heels with him, while Alexandre had a playboy reputation and never gave her the time of day. She hated how she followed him around like a lost puppy, but every time she saw him she would get lost in his hazel eyes and forget how to speak. 

She thought she would be able to tell him how she felt at the Valentine’s Day ball. He already knew, but this time was different. They were two years out of university and ripe for marrying. Their parents were already pushing them together, it was only matter of time before he caved. He just needed a little persuasion.

“It’s fine,” she sighed. She’ll have to charm him some other time. “But you have to make it up to me. Dinner next weekend.”

Alexandre sucked in a breath. “Ah, dinner is not good for me. How about lunch?”

Damn. Dinner was romantic. Lunch was where you take your friends. Oh well. Chloe appreciated any alone time with Alexandre.

“Lunch is fine.”

“Great Lunch next Sunday. There is a new Bistro that opened downtown. I’ll text you the address. I got to go now. Bye.” He hung up before she could say goodbye.

Chloe sighed.

She had to get used to disappointments. Alexandre had goals and aspirations and right now she didn’t fit in quite yet, but soon. She had to be patient.

Chloe stood up.

“Watch out!” Someone shouted.

Before she could process what was happening, a football came hurtling at Chloe. She blocked the ball with her forearm, but the impact knocked her phone out of her hand.

“My new phone!” She screamed as the expensive device plopped into the fountain. She just bought the phone and the shiny gold case yesterday. It would take ages to extract information from a damaged phone. She needed to get it out now, but the phone was too far out for her to reach. There was no way she was stepping in the gross unfiltered water.

No date. No phone. No hope.

This was not her day.

“Need help?” Someone said from behind.

“Yes, please hurry.” Chloe turned around. A tall man stood behind her and began to take off his shoes. His long red hair was pulled into a low ponytail that fell over this shoulder. When he successfully removed his socks he looked up at her, and their gazes locked for a second. His eyes were a beautiful mix of blue and green, almost like the ocean. She wanted to stare at them longer, but the man walked passed her and stepped into the fountain.

He rolled up his sleeves and wadded his hands in the water until he pulled up her phone. He quickly got out of the fountain and handed Chloe her soaked phone. “It’s freezing in there. Why is the fountain on in February?” Chloe was too preoccupied with her phone to answer. It was still on, she rubbed it dry with her coat. “You need to turn it off and put in in a bag of rice for twenty-four hours.” The Man said.

Chloe looked up. “Oh okay,” she shut off her phone. She had to find a store. She had no idea where to even look for rice. She never stepped foot in a grocery store.

“You’re welcome.”

“Oh yes, thank you. You’re a lifesaver. Do you know where I can find rice?”

“Are you joking?”

“I don’t shop.” she gave him a puzzled look. “Do you know who I am?”

“No,” he shook his head.

“Chloe Bourgeois? Daughter of the Mayor and Heiress to Le Grand Paris Hotel? You must have heard of me.”

The man gasped. “Oh my, I had no idea I was in the presence of royalty.” He bowed. “I am but a lowly artist. Please forgive my transgressions, your majesty.”

“You’re an ass.”

The man chuckled. “Sometimes I can’t help it,” he shrugged. “But in all seriousness, you need to get your phone in some rice asap before it dries. I’ll walk you to the store.” He started moving, Chloe followed.

“Thank you,” she muttered. How was she going to survive twenty-four hours without her phone? Especially on the night of the Valentine’s Day Ball. She wasn’t supposed to stress today. Her assistants had everything covered before the final walk through this evening. Still, she couldn’t take selfies or tweet about how much fun she was having to make Alexandre jealous.

She glanced over at the man next to her. He wasn’t too bad looking. With a haircut and a nice suit, he could easily pass as upper class. If the press sees them together at the event, she could use it to her advantage.

“I never got your name.”

“I didn’t give it to you,” he said. He pause for a second before speaking again. “It’s Nathaniel.”

“Well, Nathaniel do you want to grab cup of coffee after this. My treat. It’s to thank you for retrieving my phone.”

“Sure,” he said. “I don’t have much to do today.”

“Great.”

At the store, Nathaniel helped Chloe pick out a bag of rice and some ziplock bags. After purchasing, they quickly disassembled the phone on the counter and put in the bag of rice.

“Disconnected for twenty-four hours,” Chloe sighed. “This will be tough.” She had the rest of the day off to prep herself for the ball, but she still wanted to check in at least once before the guest arrived.

“You can do it,” Nathaniel mustered up false enthusiasm. “It will be fine, I’ve dropped my phone in water plenty of times.”

Chloe put the bag of rice in her purse for safekeeping and prayed that it did not spill open. “Okay, coffee. I know just the place.”

Chloe led Nathaniel to her favorite coffee spot a few block away. He wasn’t much of a talker. When he did, however, his tone was always laced with sarcasm. It will take some convincing to get him to be her date for tonight. Hopefully, they would survive the evening without too much drama.

When they finally arrived at the cafe Chloe ordered her usual soy latte and Nathaniel ordered an espresso. They sat across the table from each other silently for a few minutes. The espresso was tiny, if Chloe didn’t ask him now, she would lose her chance.

“Can I ask you a favor?”

“Another one?” Nathaniel sipped his coffee. “I can only drink one espresso a day.” 

“No, it’s a little bigger than a free espresso.” Chloe took a deep breath. “There is a charity ball tonight at the hotel and my date bailed on me at the last minute. If you’re free tonight, would you like to be my plus one?”

Nathaniel stared at her blankly. “You just met me.”

“I know, and I’m asking a lot from the guy who saved my phone. But please, I cannot go to this ball alone. Please.”

Nathaniel took another sip of his drink. “What’s in it for me?”

“I will pay for everything, the suit, stylist and I already have two tickets.”

“Not to sound greedy, but all of that seems like it’s part of a packaged deal. It will benefit you more than me. I’m going to need something else.”

Chloe thought for a moment. She could offer to pay him, but he didn’t seem the type to pimp himself out for the night for profit. If she to seal the deal, she had to come up with something that fit his interest.

“You said you were an artist right?”

“Yes,” he nodded.

“How about I commission a piece from you. A self-portrait or something.”

Nathaniel thought for a moment. His eyes lit up. “A self-portrait? I can do that. I’m strapped for cash at the moment. Art school debt. It will give me something to do.”

“Do we have a deal.”

“We have a deal.” They shook hands. Chloe examined his fingers. His nails were chipped and paint lived in between his cuticle.

“Okay, the first thing we’re doing is getting you a manicure. Yikes. How long has that paint been there?” Nathaniel shrugged. “I have a lot of work to do.”

“Is this going to be like one of those movies where the main character gives someone a makeover and all of a sudden when you take off their glasses they magically become hot.”

“You’re not wearing glasses.”

“That’s beside the point.” Nathaniel finished the last sip of his espresso. “All right Chloe beautify me.”

“I thought you’d hate this more.”

“Like I said, you don’t know me.”

***

“Uh, Chloe?” Nathaniel called out from the fitting room. “I’m not sure about this one either. Does it have to be black?”

“It’s a tuxedo Nathaniel, they’re all black.”

Chloe and Nathaniel spent the last two hours together preparing him for the ball. Chloe knew she would have to cut her prep time short to get Nathaniel everything he needed. Once he had his tux, she will drop him off at the salon. Then she’d go home to her team of stylist to get ready herself. The plan was foolproof. Nathaniel was pretty easy going for the most part. Well almost.

“I feel like I need a pop of color or something.” Nathaniel stepped out of the fitting room adjusting his tie. This tux didn’t quite fit him either. The last tux was too large and this one was by about an inch and a half. It was too late for him to get anything tailor-made.

Chloe turned to the attendant. “We’re out of options. Is there any way we can get the last one hemmed before six o’clock tonight?”

“We can,” the attendant nodded.

“What about a baby blue tie?”

“It’s a black tie event.” Chloe rolled her eyes. “Get back in there and put the last suit back on.”

“Fine,” he huffed.

“Can you stop by Le Grand Paris Hotel with the suit when you’re done.” She asked the attendant.

“No,” Nathaniel called out. “Bring it to my place. I want to go home to change.”

“Booking you a room to get ready is not a problem,” Chloe said.

“I know what you’re thinking. You don’t want this down on his luck artist walking out with a thousand Euros suit.”

“That’s not true.”

“Okay, then trust me to get ready at home. What time does the ball start?”

“Eight o’clock.”

“Then I’ll pick you up at eight.” Nathaniel stepped out of the fitting room. The attendant began to pin the bottom of his suit. “So tell me about the dickweed who bailed on you on Valentines Day. He’s not your boyfriend right? I don’t want to ruin the new suit with blood in case he shows up and decks me.”

“Not my boyfriend,” she sighed. “We were introduced as teenagers. I finally got over my infatuation with Adrien Agreste only to for Alexandre to waltz into my life and take away all of my common sense. We never kissed or anything like that. We just hung out when he came to Paris for an event or when our fathers had meetings. He’s a lawyer now and he’s meeting with clients tonight. That’s why he bailed.”

“Well, that’s shitty.”

“What?”

“If I had a beautiful woman fawning over me since I was a teenager, I wouldn’t string her along.”

“I’m not being strung along…”

“How many relationships have you been in?”

Chloe didn’t answer. She’d been on a few dates here and there, but she always compared the men to Alexandre and she would never get past the second date. “That’s none of your business.”

“My point is if I had you in my life I wouldn’t let you go,” Nathaniel said sincerely. His eyes were locked on hers.

Chloe’s heart fluttered. No one has ever talked to her like that before. She was so used to being used by men, she forgot what being appreciated felt like. Alexandre would never say things like that to her.

“All done,” the attendant said. “Take the tux off and we’ll have it back to you by six. I just need your address.”

“Of course,” he nodded, breaking his eye contact with Chloe. He slipped back in the fitting room one last time.

“Would you like me to ring you up?” The attendant asked.

Chloe snapped out of her haze. “Uh yeah. Let’s do that.”

Chloe paid for the tux and patiently waited for Nathaniel to finish dressing. Why was this stranger making her heart pound in her chest? Once she broke through his sarcastic exterior he was really funny and genuine. It was hard to find genuine guys when you’re an heiress to a multimillion Euro fortune. Adrien was the exception, but his heart belonged to a baker’s daughter. He made that very clear a long time ago and she accepted it.

“I’m ready,” Nathaniel said. He was back in his normal clothes. She missed the tux, but something about him still warmed her heart.

“Great, the last stop will be the salon. You need a haircut.”

“I like my hair.” Nathaniel took hold of his ponytail.

“Talk to the stylist about it. You have a lot of split ends and paint stuck in there. I need you to look sharp for the ball tonight. I have to get back to the hotel soon. I’ll drop you off and pay for the appointment. Meet me back at the hotel at eight o’clock sharp.”

“Of course, your majesty.” He bowed.

***

Chloe sat for hours in the chair getting her hair and makeup ready for the event. Without her phone, she couldn’t check in on Nathaniel and she was getting anxious. They managed to walk into a salon without an appointment, but Nathaniel had to wait an hour to be seen. She silently prayed he didn’t abandon her.

Finally, the last curl was placed and her lips were a glossy light pink. She looked in the mirror. She looked amazing as always. “Nathaniel’s going to love this.”

“Who’s Nathaniel?” Her makeup artist asked.

“Oh,” she hadn’t realized she said that out loud. “He’s a friend. That’s all. He’s filling in for Alexandre, who couldn’t make it tonight. Just filling in.”

“Okay,” she gave her a once over. “Have a good time with ‘Nathaniel.’” 

Chloe rolled her eyes and headed for her bedroom to change. She slipped on her new canary yellow mermaid dress. She found the dress months ago at Gabriel’s and fell in love. She began to picture walking into the ball with Nathaniel in a matching yellow tie and pocket square.

No.

Why was she thinking about Nathaniel like that? She barely knew the guy. Tonight was about getting seen and making Alexandre jealous.

Chloe zipped up and her stylist put the finishing touches on her look. At eight o’clock on the dot, there was a knock on the door.

“He’s here.” Chloe took one more look in the mirror before rushing to the door.

Perfect.

Chloe opened the door, her breath caught in her chest. Nathaniel cleaned up nicely. His long red hair was now cut to his neck and slicked back. The off the rack tux fit much better than earlier.

“I told you I showed,” he smiled.

“That you did.” She glanced down at the small box in his hands. “What’s that?”

“A present.” He opened the box and removed a beautiful red rose corsage. “I didn’t know what color your dress was, and roses seem to go with everything.”

“It’s perfect thank you.” She held out her hand and Nathaniel slipped it on her wrist. “I thought you were strapped for cash?”

“I have a commission coming in so…”

“Oh right, I should get your contact information.But I don’t have my phone.

“Not to worry.” Nathaniel pulled out his wallet and handed her a business card.

“How professional.”

“I may or may not be planning on networking while I’m here.”

“You better be good, my reputation is on the line.” She put the business card on the side table. “Shall we?”

“We shall,” They linked arms and headed downstairs to the ballroom.

The hotel was packed with beautiful guest and photographers taking photos of their every move. Chloe interested Nathaniel on how to navigate through the crowd. Nathaniel was a natural. He introduced himself to the guest with a strong demeanor. If she didn’t know any better she’d say he’d done this before.

“You’re doing great,” Chloe whispered.

“Thanks, I’m the king of sucking up to old rich people. I cleaned out my relatives at my bar mitzvah.”

He was Jewish. She had no idea. He didn’t talk too much about himself today. Maybe after this, they could hang out again. Commissioning a self-portrait would give them an excuse to see each other again.

“What’s your last name?”

“Kurtzberg,” he answered. “It’s on my business card.”

Chloe hit his arm playfully. “Come on, I’m starving let’s grab some hors d’oevres.”

“What is everyone raising money for?”

“The Children’s Hospital,” Chloe said. “Tickets were a grand a piece and there is a silent auction.”

“You paid two grand for tickets?”

“It’s for charity. Everybody who is anybody is here. Besides, I got in for free because I helped organize the event.”

“Wait what?”

“What? You thought I didn’t have a job, how cute. It seems like you underestimated me.”

“That I did, and I am truly sorry.”

“Apology accepted,” she smiled. “Don’t get me wrong, I was a spoilt brat in my youth and I still can be one from time to time. After university, I needed a change of pace, so I throw parties to raise money for non-for profit organizations.”

“Wow color me impressed,” Nathaniel smiled. Chloe felt her cheeks grow warm.

“Chloe,” her father called out to her in the crowd. The mayor waved them over. Chloe glanced over at Nathaniel, his face was stark white. 

“You okay?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he nodded. “I just didn’t think I’d run into the mayor of Paris.”

“You know I’m the mayor’s daughter right? Besides, we’re not dating, you have nothing to be afraid of.” She tugged him forward to her father.

“Right,” he said nervously.

“Daddy,” Chloe stopped in front of her father and kissed both his cheeks.

“Wonderful event as always,” he kissed her cheeks. “How much have you raised so far?”

“About eight hundred thousand Euros in ticket sales and donations. We won’t have the final total until after we close the silent auction, but we might pass the million Euro mark.”

“Congrats baby girl,” he hugged his daughter. Andre looked over at Nathaniel standing awkwardly behind Chloe. “And who is this?”

“Daddy, this is my friend Nathaniel.”

“It’s nice to meet you, sir,” he held out his.

The mayor took it and shook. “Nice to meet you as well. Chloe hasn’t mentioned a Nathaniel before. What happened to Alexandre?”

“Nathaniel is a new friend. Alexandre had to meet with a client for dinner and said he couldn’t make it.”

“I see.” He sized up Nathaniel. “I don’t quite understand who you brought someone else in his place.”

“Alexandre and I aren’t dating. I can bring whoever I want ”

“But surely if he or his father sees you with another man they might get the wrong impression.”

“So what?! Alexandre dates supermodels and parades a new one around every other week. I bring one friend to my own charity ball and all of a sudden you’re worried about what Alexandre and his father thinks? Well, I’ll tell you what he thinks. Alexandre doesn’t care, he never has. If he cared he would have stopped dating other women years ago when I told him I loved him.” Chloe felt hot tears rolling down her cheek. She couldn’t have a breakdown, not here. She had to go.

“I–I had no idea,” he father said softly.

“I need a minute,” Chloe grabbed Nathaniel’s hand and dragged him through the crowd and back to the lobby. There were too many people still. She made a beeline for the elevator.

Nathaniel didn’t say a word. He silently stood next to her on the ride up to the penthouse. Chloe unlocked her door and threw herself on the couch. She lay there silently for a minute before speaking.

“We graduated around the same time. I got a degree in business and political science and Alexandre finished law school. He was immediately hired by the top law firm in Paris, so I thought, this is my chance, we were living in the same city so why not tell him how you feel? A union between our families was always the end game. It’s all about making more money with the upper class. I thought I didn’t have anything to lose. So about two years ago we were at lunch and I just blurted it out.

“He said he needed more time to figure things out. I took too literally. I just knew one day he would love me back, we were meant to be. But he stopped asking me to be his escort to work events. Flaked out on me during my fundraisers. We still talked, but he seemed more and more out of reach. Fast forward two years, I thought he finally figured his shit out because it was Valentine’s Day, the most romantic day of the year and he said yes to being my date. Until this morning. I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up. I even roped you into this too make him jealous. But I think it’s time to stop lying to myself. He’s never going to love me.”

Nathaniel sat next to Chloe and wrapped his arm around her. “He’s an idiot. I haven’t known you for long, but you are probably the most beautiful and surprising woman I’ve meet. And if he can’t see that, it’s his loss.” Nathaniel wiped the tears from her face.

She didn’t know what came over her. Maybe it was his words or her fragile state or, hell, Valentine’s Day magic, but she tilted her head up and kissed him softly. The second their lips touched, she felt sparks.

Nathaniel pulled away. “I’m sorry, you are in an emotional state right now.”

“I don’t care.” Chloe brought his face back to hers and planted another one on him. This time Nathaniel took control, wrapping his arms around her waist to bring her closer. He tasted like mint with a slight hint of espresso. She loved it. She hadn’t felt this wanted in a long time.

Chloe didn’t know how long they kissed. It could have been minutes, maybe hours; all she knew was she never wanted to leave this couch.

There was a knock on the door. The two broke away. “I should get that,” Chloe said, nearly breathless.

“Yes,” Nathaniel coughed. “Bathroom?”

“It’s the down the hall and to the left.”

“Your penthouse is huge.” he got off the couch. “If I’m not back in ten minutes call a search party.”

“Will do.” Chloe stood up and straightened out her dress. She passed by the mirror. She was a wreck. Her lip gloss was completely smeared off from kissing. Her eyes were bloodshot and her face was puffy and red. “Yikes.” She muttered. She fixed her hair to look somewhat presentable and opened the door.

Chloe froze. Alexandre stood in the doorway. In all of her anger, she’d forgotten what he looked like. The six-foot-three Adonous towered over her. He looked damn good in his three piece suit. His dark hair was perfectly styled and sophisticated like always. Perfect, as always, but there was something dark behind his hazel eyes.

“Chloe, I’ve been trying to get in touch with you for the last hour.”

“My phone fell in the fountain at the park. It’s been sitting in rice all day.”

“Oh, can I come in?” He looked down at her with his big puppy dog eyes. She forgot how to speak, so she just nodded. Alexandre didn’t sit down. He paced back and forth in the living room. “Listen, I was sitting in my business dinner chatting with the big wig clients when they all started talking about their wives and children. And the client asks me if I was married and I said no. They started going on and on about the joys of marriage and parenthood, and ask me if there was someone special I could see myself spending h for the rest of my life with. And the only person I could think of was you. It’s always been you Chlo, for the past ten years you have stuck with me through college and law school. We were so close as kids, but when you told me you loved me a few years ago, I froze. You were the forever girl. I was fresh out of law school and scared. So I pushed you away and I am truly sorry for that.”

“Alex…”

“I’m not done,” he held up his hand. “So I’m at the dinner and I tell my clients that I canceled a date on Valentine’s Day with my girl and they told me to buy the biggest box of chocolate and flowers and apologize. I get up and leave, but before I get to the store I see pictures of you on Twitter hanging over some other guy. What the hell?”

“It’s not like that I swear,” Chloe said. The words were coming out of her mouth before she could process them. “He’s just a guy I met this morning with nothing to do on Valentine’s Day. He means nothing to me.”

“You sure about that?” Alexandre looked over her shoulder. Before she could turn around he grabbed her face and kissed her. It felt…off. He was not gentle at all and tasted like bourbon and tobacco. This was not how she imagined her first kiss with Alexandre.

A cough interrupted them. Nathaniel stood behind them; his eyes lit with rage.

“Oh my God.” she covered her mouth.

“I’m going to leave you two to sort out whatever this is.” He gestured between the two. “Thanks for the invitation. I will see myself out.” He headed for the door.

“Nathaniel, wait,” Chloe reached out and grabbed his arm.

“No, let him leave, Chlo,” Alexandre said. Chloe let go.

“You know what.” Nathaniel punched Alexandre square in the jaw. “I’ve been wanting to do that all day. Have a nice life, Chloe.” He slammed the door behind him.

“Who the fuck does he think he is?” Alexandre shouted. Chloe stopped him from following Nathaniel. “I’m going to kill him.”

“No you’re not.” She tried to calm him down. “Sit down, let me get you so some ice.” She went to the mini-fridge and grabbed some ice cubes and wrapped them in a towel. “This will help with the swelling.” 

“Thanks.” He grumbled and placed the ice on his jaw.

“Did you really mean what you said? About me being your forever girl?”

“Of course. That’s always been our father’s plans anyway. I’ve been holding on to my youth as long as I could, but if I want to make partner by thirty my boss wants me to get married. I had to start sooner than later.”

“Wait.” Chloe stood up. “This was about becoming partner?”

“Of course.”

“Do you even love me?”

“Chlo come on, I’m sure I’ll get there. Just give me some time.”

“No,” she shouted. “I gave you ten years of my time. Ten years waiting around for you to love me back. Ten years of you parading around model after model, while I couldn’t find a man because I kept comparing them all to you. And I just let the kindest man in Paris walk out the door because I came running back to you.”

“That peasant?” he scoffed.

“He showed more compassion today than you ever showed me. And I want you out of my penthouse and out of my life.”

“You don’t mean–”

“Out!” she screamed.

“I’ll press charges, sue him for every cent he has.”

“Don’t you dare,” Chloe challenged him. “I have ten years of dirt on you. You won’t want that to become public knowledge. You don’t want your bosses to know you cheated on your LSAT?”

“You wouldn’t dare…”

“Try me.”

Alexandre stormed out of the penthouse, slamming the door behind him.

Chloe crumbled on the couch and cried until she fell asleep.

***

Chloe didn’t wake up until after ten o’clock the next morning. Last night was like a dream that quickly became a nightmare. Chloe groaned and forced herself to get out of her dress and into the shower. She had a lot of work to do, she felt bad for leaving the ball early, but with all the drama she needed a day off.

Chloe freshened up for the day. It had been about twenty-four hours since she put the phone in the rice. It had to be ready. She reached it to the bag, dusted it off and reassembled the phone. After a silent prayer, she turned on the device. It started up normally, thank God.

Immediately it began buzzing. Fourteen missed calls and twenty messages. Half of them were from the committee about the setup, the other half were from Alexandre. She deleted them all and sighed.

She’d done it now. She ended things with Alexandre and let the nicest guy in the world walk out her door. This was karma catching up with her.

She needed to take a walk to clear her head. On her way out the door, she spotted Nathaniel’s business card.

“Yes,” she cheered.

Could she still contact him? But did he want to see her? Chloe sighed and went back to the couch.

The business card had Nathaniel’s website on it. She typed it in on her phone to see his work. His range was incredible. From his bio, she learned that he started out drawing comics, but he discovered his love of painting in art school and focused on creating. The pieces he shared were breathtaking. She could only imagine what these looked like in real life.

Chloe sighed and dialed his number.

He answered after two rings. “Hello?”

Chloe panicked. What if he wasn’t ready to talk with her. “Hello,” she said in an old woman voice. “Is this Nathaniel Kurtzberg?”

“This is him.”

“Ah yes, I met you at the Charity ball yesterday and I got your business card. I was wondering if I can commission you for a painting of me and my cat?”

“Uh okay…” he said skeptically. “I’m going to need some details first.”

“Can we meet in person?”

“It’s easier on the–”

“What?” she screamed into the phone. “I’m having a hard time hearing you dearie. Meeting in person would be best.”

“We can do this over email to my address is on the–”

“No no, snail mail is too slow. I’d rather meet you today at one are you free?”

“I guess,” he sighed.

Nathaniel gave the address of his studio before hanging up. They were meeting in an hour. Chloe regretting doing the voice, but she couldn’t face him on the phone. She had to apologize in person.

After eating and checking some emails, it was almost time to meet with Nathaniel. His studio wasn’t too far from the Hotel so she decided to walk. She arrived at his studio at one on the dot. It was more of an apartment building than a private studio. She pressed the buzzer that read Kurtzberg and spoke into the speaker. “It’s me.” She said in her real voice.

After a minute, he buzzed her up. Chloe went up to the third floor to apartment 310 and knocked. Nathaniel opened the door immediately. “You are terrible at accents, you know that.”

“So you knew it was me.”

“Almost immediately, but I played along.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “What do you want?”

“I came to apologize,” she said. “After you left, I kicked Alexandre out of the house. He was just using my feelings for him to get what he wanted. He doesn’t love me.”

“I could have told you that. In fact, I did tell you that.”

“I know, I know. Feelings like that don’t just go away overnight. Whenever I see him my brain turns to mush and I can’t think straight. I shouldn’t have said you were nothing to me. You have been nothing but kind to me since you jumped in the fountain to save my phone. I am so sorry.”

“He kissed you.”

“And it was awful. I put this asshole on a pedestal for years and his kiss was nothing compared to yours. I felt a connection, did you?” He nodded. “Then please, give me a second chance. I want to do this right.”

Nathaniel didn’t answer. He leaned down and kissed her lips softly. Chloe wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in close. Espresso and mint. What a delightfully strange combination.

Nathaniel broke away first. “How will I know you won’t go running back when he calls.”

“You’re just going to have to trust me,” she smirked. With the dirt she had on him she wouldn’t be seeing him for a long time.

“All right,” he nodded. “You owe me two commissions.”

“Two?”

“Yes, one of just you and one of you and your cat.”

“I don’t have a cat.”

“We’ll figure something out,” he smiled. “Step into my office.”


End file.
